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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. march — the month
  3. charge — a price
  4. club — a group
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. charge — in control
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. mug — to rob
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. club — for dancing
  12. band — a music group
  13. mug — a cup
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. band — a ring
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. club — for golf
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. mug — a face
  21. march — music
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. march — the month

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com